Thursday, November 6, 2014

AFC East to host first-ever London divisional matchup

Things are going to heat up quickly in the division next season, and the stage is set across the Atlantic.

The league announced the teams that will play in the annual International Series in 2015 at Wembley Stadium in London, England, Thursday, and three teams from the AFC East are on the list.

Two of those teams -- the New York Jets and the Miami Dolphins -- will battle each other in a Week 4 divisional showdown.
"We believe we have a great 2015 schedule that will continue to attract new fans to our sport and strengthen the bonds with our existing fans," NFL Executive Vice President of International Mark Waller said via buffalobills.com. "To provide UK fans the opportunity to see games on consecutive weekends, to see new teams, and to attend a division game, which feature some of the most passionate rivalries in our sport, are signs of the growth and depth of our UK fan base.”

Three weeks after that Week 4 bout, the Buffalo Bills will face off against the Jacksonville Jaguars over the pond, which will then be followed a Chiefs-Lions matchup a week later.

Both the Bills and Jets will be making their first-ever regular season trans-Atlantic trips, while next season's plane ride will mark the Dolphins' third trip to London.

Coach Doug Marrone told reporters Thursday that thoughts on the trip "weren't in his wheelhouse" at the moment while the team prepares to take on the Chiefs this weekend, though he believes the experience will be "good for the franchise."